A storm blew high above the great city of London in the hours before dawn
Disclaimer: I own it all! Mwahahaha! No really I do, and if you don't like it. Take it up with the savage man eating tortoise……yeah I thought not
Chapter 3
A storm blew high above the great city of London in the hours before dawn. Mighty clouds hung dark and ominous, releasing the fury of nature in booming arcs of lightning, howling winds and torrents of rain.
Hanging suspended just below the clouds was a dark figure, floating where the storm's rage was greatest with arms outstretched and face raised to the swirling tempest above. Rain and wind beat against the figure, smashing against bare chest and running down long hair.
Energy crackled through the warrior's form, a crushing pressure of heat and light and crashing power that roared through and out of the levitating being. Flooding the air around him, the power pulses off him in waves of distortion shot through with flashing electrical discharges as lightning explodes around him. The storm seemingly rages at being matched, wind and rain lashing harder against the figure as lighting thunders louder and faster around him.
Sephiroth 11 year old reborn warrior of Shinra grit his teeth as he matched the storm, sweat swept away by the driving waters of the storm even as it formed, body trembling as he forced all his power through it to battle nature's fury. Exhaustion rose in him but he fought on, riding a wave of exhilaration and savage joy at having regained a measure of his former strength and abilities. I am a being of power once more he stated within himself I have regained my strength, my pride Green glowing eyes shone like a spotlight with power and wild emotion. Lips curled into a savage grin
"I am Sephiroth!" he roared to the swirling storm "And I am a SOLDIER again!"
He laughed and drew forth more power before closing his eyes and hurling himself into the storm, instantly the winds grew more intense battering and buffeting him but he fought on and through until finally he broke through the cloud layer just as light from the rising sun illuminated the tops of the clouds. He paused there, as the sky lightened and turned to gold and red in the peace above the storm, feeling contented momentarily as he had not in the past decade while he pieced together his memories and trained frantically to regain his power.
Sephiroth waited a moment longer then allowed gravity to take hold. In seconds he had passed back through the clouds and into the driving storm and was hurtling down towards privet drive once more. A flare of his power slowed the rapidly approaching ground and curved his fall towards one particular garden until with a muted thud, he landed in a barefooted crouch on the lawn of the Dursely's home.
A final longing glance towards the sky and then he was striding into the house. A quick shower later and after a thorough wringing out a sodden pair of black pyjama trousers were dumped into his wash bin, he was preparing for the day ahead. Once dressed in black jeans and long sleeved t-shirt (not his leather armour unfortunately but that was hardly suitable attire for an 11 year old boy) he was busy preparing breakfast for himself and the rest of the family as was his custom due to the fact that he was always up and about well before the rest of the household.
Grabbing his own plate and leaving the rest on the kitchen table, he only stopped to pick up the letter addressed to him from the doormat as he made his way to his bedroom.
Sephiroth settled by his desk and casually flipped open the letter noting as he did the old fashioned parchment and wax seal then read the letter while eating with the other hand. When he had finished both he sat back to consider the contents of the letter in mild surprise So magic exists here after all, and they have entire schools devoted to its instruction? How curious to warrant so much instruction it must be a great deal more complicated than the material based manipulation I am acquainted with Sephiroth raised his hand to rub his jaw as he pondered the possible gains to his power by studying an entirely new branch of magic. Quickly coming to the conclusion that the potential gains far outweighed any benefit he may gain by staying in the traditional schooling systems (which he had gone along with so far to learn about his new world) he looked the letter over for information on how to respond positively yet only finding the cryptic comment "we await your owl"
Brow furrowed as he attempted to work out the hidden meaning in that statement he eventually gave up and simply sketched out a quick letter to the headmaster before placing it in an envelope using the address on the second sheet of parchment and fishing out a first class stamp from his drawer.
Returning downstairs he went to inform his "guardians" about his upcoming transfer to Hogwarts and found himself surprised at the expression of deepest loathing that flashed across his aunt's face.
"Aunt Petunia, are you familiar with this school?" he asked with a slightly raised eyebrow. Petunia's face twisted in something like bitterness jealousy? Before she replied in a strained tone
"Yes, it's the school that both of your parents attended Harry, they select pupils based on some inborn talent to use this magic" she told him, practically hissing the final word. "Still it will get you out of our hair for most of the year so I won't object" she told him after a moment of thought.
This was a viewpoint that Sephiroth could share, while he had no problems with his family in this life anymore (he had grown more imposing as he grew and regained his memories and presence), there was no love lost between them (he might possibly be mildly fond of Dudley he admitted grudgingly to himself) and it would be good to get away from the indifference here, he had grown accustomed to being respected and admired or feared wherever he went and it was… galling to actually be looked down on even if it was not overt.
A few more questions enlightened him to the fact that the letter had meant the nocturnal birds in its mention of owls but that his solution would work as well (it was how letters to his mother had been sent when she attended the school) and that if he added to his letter a request for a guide to the magical world, one would be provided for his shopping.
It was the work of moments to add a post script to the letter and then he jogged up to the local post office to send it. With the interruption to his normal routine dealt with he returned to his physical training and that of Dudley, who had been joining him for training since Sephiroth noticed the child was suffering from an appalling lack of discipline, self or otherwise and took it upon himself to correct with SOLDIER cadet based training. The boy and his parents had only complained till Dudley began to win every event he entered at school sports days although that was only because Sephiroth would never deign to compete against school children. Sephiroth was pleased with the strong, proud and honourable lad the boy was growing into and even more pleased with the fact that he had something of a sparring partner insufficient as he was.
Speaking of which Sephiroth mused… Thud!
"You left your guard open on the left again Dudley" he stated calmly. Dudley pulled his face out of the 6 inch impression in the mud and grass of the park it had been forced into and glared half heartedly as he unsteadily rose to his feet before shaking his head and firming his stance, this time without a hole Sephiroth noted happily
"Did you have to do that Harry?" Dudley asked him unhappily as his eyes darted over Sephiroth's form looking for an opening he could exploit. In vain apparently as he shifted back into a defensive stance obviously waiting for Sephiroth to attack instead. Allowing a small smirk to cross his face Sephiroth obliged
Dudley managed to avoid two strikes and block a third before… Thud! "Oof!" While waiting for his student to get up Sephiroth sighed happily in his mind Training, the best form of stress release ever invented.
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A week later
Sephiroth was sitting cross legged in the garden of number 4, his family had all left for work or shopping and he was using the time he had alone to attempt a technique he had yet to be able to accomplish in this lifetime. After spent a while building his energy till it was pounding through his body and sending small electrical discharges over his skin. He then spent several seconds visualising the form of his trusty Masamune, the great sword that had served him faithfully for his entire career, holding onto every detail and dimension in his mind.
Taking a deep breath he released all the energy he could through his hands while holding onto that image and for one glorious moment green flames erupted in the air in front of him and he thought he had succeeded but his power exhausted itself before the sword could be made solid and the flash of green flame dissipated leaving him frustrated and tired.
Pushing himself to his feet he put his most recent failure out of his mind before walking into the house to get a drink. A thunderous knock on the front door interrupted his search for a glass.
Striding to the door he threw it open and then for his visitor's face, then he looked up and up again before finally finding a bearded smiling face a good 9 feet above the ground. Arching an eyebrow he spoke to the frankly oversized man in a moleskin coat before him
"Can I help you?" the giant startled out of his rather obvious assessment and with eyes crinkling in a cheerful smile, spoke
"Oh right course, me name is Rubeus Hagrid, Keeper of Key's and Grounds at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry and I'm ere to take you shopping for yer school supplies Harry" Sephiroth nodded calmly in response how curious, I wonder if unusual height is a common wizard trait he wondered idly as he stepped out before locking the door behind himself.
"Let's be off then" he stated "I was informed by my aunt that my parents set up some sort of trust fund for this purpose and that the school would know how to access it?" Again the giant smiled despite seeming somewhat surprised by the 11 year olds composure
"Not a problem Harry, I got yer Gringotts key righ' ere" he stated handing over a small golden key while saying "now you look after that lad, its more fuss than it's worth to have to replace em if you lose yer key" Sephiroth nodded, pocketing the item and after inquiring found out that they would be travelling via "portkey" to the leaky cauldron which was apparently a portal to the Diagon Alley which was mentioned in his letter.
One thoroughly unpleasant yet enlightening ride later found Sephiroth standing by a pub holding a sock, the strangeness of the situation not damping his flare of delight that the first piece of this new magic he was exposed to was something thoroughly impossible with the magic he was familiar with giving him high hopes for the worth of this endeavour.
Before he could enter the building however he found himself being held back by a serious looking Hagrid
"Now I don' know what yer muggle family have told you about why you were with them and what happened to yer parents but I'd better go over the whole story so you aren' surprised by how people act alright?" And before a thoroughly surprised Sephiroth he explained the events of the night of his parent's death and the resulting fame of the "Boy-who-lived"
With the story and warning complete Sephiroth, Harry Potter the Boy-Who-Lived himself re-entered the wizarding world.